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Friday, 23 December 2011

Incredible India: Conditions and Transitions

Silence is not absence

There might bereaders of my blog concerning my training in India who might have thought I hadalready screamed myself hoarse and finally settled down to the scheme ofthings. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I have been busyand in many cases exhausted but there is so much to write about that the rightframe of mind is necessary to be as articulate as possible.

As you would havenoticed, I have registered no new comments with regards to my Internetconnection that is not because the Internet access problem has been solvedproperly or that the service is anywhere near acceptable, I simply could notafford to suffer another night of absence of service that the next day I got amobile Internet dongle that gives me close to unlimited access for the rest ofthe time I will be in India.

My colleagues atKoenig Inn have endured more frustration than I have the capacity for in termsof that as it were “funny” service. I have on occasion used the wirelessInternet service but I suppose because I have contingencies, I am no more asaffected.

Acquiring a Microsoft-infused mind

The main tranche ofmy course finished yesterday. It was a whirlwind tour of the Microsoft Windowsenterprise framework strategy. We covered so many topics, I think I wasstretched, learning new stuff, relearning interesting stuff and unlearningobsolete stuff – on the latter, there was much to unlearn with experience comesthe vagaries of change that compel you to adapt or be face obsolescence.

Koenig Solutionsalso gave me a birthday present, not a free course but a complete set of alltheir souvenirs – Thank you.

Much as I seem tohave some bravado to face some examinations in order terms I feel I am not asprepared as I should be. It is saturation environment from now on as I dopractice tests on my mobile phone, read up on obscure topics and playbackvideos of the CBT material whilst awake and whilst asleep – my thinking has tobecome Microsoft(ed) if any such word exists.

Parting with mytrainer, I can only commend his knowledge of the material, his understanding ofthe fundamentals, his confidence in the face of thorny questions and hisappreciation of other perspectives that people bring in with regards to thepractical experiences they have had. I will hope that I make a friend of himfor the invaluable service he has offered.

Feng Shui we need

I received an emailyesterday with regards to the next course that I hope to obtain a Ciscocertification for. I cannot say much for the attention to detail when thelaboratory room number indicated I was to be in a different building from whatthe email suggested – I am not complaining, just observing.

The training roomis in the basement of another building, I would hate to think that I am alreadysuffering the effects of bad Feng Shui and other complications of sick buildingsyndrome – basically, I had basement offices and I have suddenly noticed that Ihave been in classes without windows, breathing processed air and usingartificial light.

The part aboutbreathing processed air is useful because New Delhi is in a constant haze ofpollution, there are places you can go that give you serious throat irritationin a matter of minutes.

The same and different all the same

So, after findingmy training room, I walked down the length of the corridor noting how clean thewhole place looked and could not help but notice that unlike the otherbuilding, the sugar bowl had a lid that was used with the notice, to alwayscover the bowl after use. I still have issues with the spoon being in a cup ofwater, I would rather they had a proper sugar dispenser or plastic disposablespoons.

In all, many thingsare the same all around the place, the coffee machines, the water coolers, theserviette boxes, even the microwaves and yet all different – a concept of bulksimilarity but varied utility depending on location as regards the trainingcentres and the managed accommodations.

A visit to the gentswas a bit more comforting, a lot cleaner in looks than the aging other placebut with a façade of the worn, maybe by reason of age, one cannot say.

The lessons havestarted and this looks like it will be exciting stuff – there is much more toreport some of which is almost too incredible to talk about but it will beremiss of me not to cover these matters in the next few blogs I post.